German Philosophy 1760–1860: The Legacy of Idealism

In the second half of the eighteenth century, German philosophy came for a while to dominate European philosophy. It changed the way in which not only Europeans, but people all over the world, conceived of themselves and thought about nature, religion, human history, politics, and the structure of the human mind. In this rich and wide-ranging book, Terry Pinkard interweaves the story of ‘Germany’ - changing during this period from a loose collection of principalities into a newly-emerged nation with a distinctive culture - with an examination of the currents and complexities of its developing philosophical thought. He examines the dominant influence of Kant, with his revolutionary emphasis on ‘self-determination’, and traces this influence through the development of romanticism and idealism to the critiques of post-Kantian thinkers such as Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard. His book will interest a range of readers in the history of philosophy, cultural history and the history of ideas.

• Covers a very rich and important period in the history of German philosophy, including Kant • Lively and accessible in style • Offers a distinctive and integrated interpretation of the period

Introduction: ‘Germany’ and German philosophy; Part I. Kant and the Revolution in Philosophy: 1. The revolution in philosophy I: Human spontaneity and the natural order; 2. The revolution in philosophy II: Autonomy and the moral order; 3. The revolution in philosophy III: Aesthetic taste, teleology, and the world order; Part II. The Revolution Continued: Post-Kantians: 4. The 1780s: the immediate post-Kantian reaction: Jacobi and Reinhold; 5. The 1790s: Fichte; 6. The 1790s after Fichte: The romantic appropriation of Kant I: Hölderlin, Novalis, Schleiermacher, Schlegel; 7. 1795–1809: The romantic appropriation of Kant II: Schelling; 8. 1801–1807: The other post-Kantian: Jacob Friedrich Fries and non-romantic sentimentalism; Part III. The Revolution Completed? Hegel: 9. Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit: post-Kantianism in a new vein; 10. Hegel’s analysis of mind and world: the Science of Logic; 11. Nature and spirit: Hegel’s system; Part IV. The Revolution in Question: 12. Schelling’s attempt at restoration: idealism under review; 13. Kantian paradoxes and modern despair: Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard; Conclusion: The legacy of idealism.